Forecasting land-cover growth using remotely sensed data: a case study of the Igneada protection area in Turkey.

Human activities in many parts of the world have greatly affected natural areas. Therefore, monitoring and forecasting of land-cover changes are important components for sustainable utilization, conservation, and development of these areas. This research has been conducted on Igneada, a legally protected area on the northwest coast of Turkey, which is famous for its unique, mangrove forests.

Analyzing landscape changes in the Bafa Lake Nature Park of Turkey using remote sensing and landscape structure metrics.

Bafa Lake Nature Park is one of Turkey's most important legally protected areas. This study aimed at analyzing spatial change in the park environment by using object-based classification technique and landscape structure metrics. SPOT 2X (1994) and ASTER (2005) images are the primary research materials.

Effects of increasing urbanization on the ecological integrity of open space preserves.

This article analyzes the effects of increasing urbanization on open space preserves within the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Time series analysis is used in 10-year increments over 40 years to study urban landscape change. Three landscape metrics--(1) matrix utility (measures intensity of adjacent land uses), (2) isolation (measures distances to other open space patches), and (3) connectivity (measures physical links to other open space patches and corridors)--are used to assess changes in landscape patterns and serve as indicators of urban ecological integrity of the open space preserves.

Land use trends during rapid urbanization of the City of Aydin, Turkey.

The favorable Turkish context for environmental legislation is undermined by a lack of public knowledge of the importance of sustainable development, a lack of coordination between experts in different professions and between government institutions, and a lack of the political will to make tough choices such as restricting the freedom of citizens to migrate to cities. This paper examines the specific implications of this context for the Aydin urban area in a rapidly urbanizing part of western Turkey. In the study area, urban and industrial areas both exhibited large proportional increases, largely at the expense of agricultural areas, and agricultural expansion occurred at the expense of natural areas.